Blue Nile College

Learning Outcome 1: Create Opportunities to Maximize

Innovation within the Team

Specific Objectives: After completing this learning outcome, the trainees will be able to:
 what is innovation
 what are the different types of innovation
 the benefits of innovation
 barriers to innovation that can occur within a team
 understanding what the team needs and wants to achieve
 checking information about current or potential team members' work in the
context of developing a more innovative team
 characteristics of teams that are more likely to be innovative
 making suggestions for team members based on what needs to be achieved
 acknowledging the different ways that different people may contribute to building
a team

1.1. What is Innovation?

Innovation is classically defined as the "process that begins with an inventor's insight and
ends with a new product or technique" being created (Lundstedt & Colglazier, 1982:xiii).
As an alternative definition, the Innovation and Business Skills Council of Australia
suggests: Innovation is consciously exploiting new ideas, or new uses for old ideas, to
add social or economic value (Wong, 2009:2).

Innovation is not just the practical improvement to technology. It also involves the
reshaping of practices, thinking, concepts or ideas. The innovation process forms the
basis for individuals to inject ideas, insights, pure and applied research, scientific
knowledge, and technical "know-how".

At the heart of innovation at the team level is the ability to break away from linear
processes and existing thinking. For the purposes of this unit of study innovation at a
team level will centre on the act and process from idea generation through to deployment

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of a unique development to products and services, or to processes and practices. It can

occur in an unstructured or a systematic process.

Innovation and improvement

Improvement is herein limited to change undertaken on an existing or known process,

entity, component, technique or idea that incrementally generates superior outcomes.
Continuous improvement may involve cumulative evolution where the end process or
product adds only incremental value, relative to its immediate predecessors but,
ultimately, constitutes a major change from the starting point (Dawkins, 1986: 43;
Lundstedt & Colglazier, 1982:xxiii). The completed innovation may evolve from
complex improvements or provide a conceptual basis for addressing problems that have a
cumulative impact on both an organization and even a society. Improvements in the
wider organization’s external environment - social, political, economic or market factors
- may serve to produce secondary effects that can trigger innovation within an
organization (Kranzberg, 1986:545).

Incremental change can be overtaken on occasions by radical or dynamic

breakthroughs in theory, practice or technology that quickly alters the existing
conditions for future innovation (Hughes, 1982: 32; & Landau, 1982:54). The more
radical a breakthrough, the wider is the base for innovative effort.

While innovation may have a foster other innovations, innovation is not the same as
improvement. Innovation is about creating new products or services or solving problems
or creating solutions that are novel and new. At a team level innovation will change the
framework of thinking and practice applied to how current products and services are
delivered. This is unlike improvement that has as its focus existing products and
services, or processes and practices.

Because significant discoveries and technological change cannot be ordered or pre-

ordained, the organization may only produce the innovation or recognize its value long
after the original breakthrough. Hence great periods of innovation can then be followed
by stagnation. However, as organizations recognize the competitive advantage in quickly

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identifying and adopting conceptual breakthroughs, cross-fertilization of ideas and

practical usage have seen a quantum leap in improvement and innovation at an
organizational level. Unlike the late Industrial Age, in the Digital or Knowledge Age the
impact of an innovation is occurring sooner as organizations realize that the speed of
converting conceptual ideas into applied realities is in fact an area of competitive
advantage.

Operation sheet 1.1.

 What is innovation?

1.2. What are the Different Types of Innovation?

There are 14 types of innovation. They are: -

1. Incremental innovation
Incremental innovation seeks to improve the systems that already exist, making them
better, faster cheaper.
2. Process innovation
Process innovation means the implementation of a new or significantly improved
production or delivery method.
3. Red ocean innovation
Red Oceans refer to the known market space, i.e. all the industries in existence today. In
red oceans, industry boundaries are defined and accepted, and the competitive rules of the
game are known. Companies try to outperform their rivals to grab a greater share of
existing demand usually through marginal changes in offering level and price. As the
market space gets crowded, prospects for profits and growth are reduced. Products
become commodities, and cutthroat competition turns the red ocean bloody.
4. Service innovation
Service Innovation can be defined as “a new or considerably changed service concept,
client interaction channel, service delivery system or technological concept that
individually, but most likely in combination, leads to one or more (re)new(ed) service
functions that are new to the firm.

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5. Business model innovation

Business Model Innovation (BMI) refers to the creation, or reinvention, of a business
itself. Whereas innovation is more typically seen in the form of a new product or service
offering, a business model innovation results in an entirely different type of company that
competes not only on the value proposition of its offerings, but aligns its profit formula,
resources and processes to enhance that value proposition, capture new market segments
and alienate competitors.
6. Sustainable innovation
Eco-innovation is a term used to describe products and processes that contribute
to sustainable development
7. Frugal innovation

Frugal Innovation is about doing more with less. Entrepreneurs and innovators in
emerging markets have to devise low cost strategies to either tap or circumvent
institutional complexities and resource limitations to innovate, develop and deliver
products and services to low income users with little purchasing power.
8. Blue ocean innovation

Blue Oceans represent the unknown market space, i.e. all the industries not in existence
today. Blue oceans are defined by untapped market space, demand creation, and the
opportunity for highly profitable growth. In blue oceans, competition is irrelevant
because the rules of the game are not set. Blue oceans can be created by expanding
existing industry boundaries or by reconstructing industry boundaries.

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9. Radical innovation

Radical innovations (sometime referred to as breakthrough, discontinuous or disruptive

innovations) provide something new to the world that we live in by uprooting industry
conventions and by significantly changing customer expectations in a positive way.
Ultimately, they often end up replacing existing methods / technologies.
10. Open source innovation / Crowd sourcing
In production and development, open source is a philosophy or pragmatic methodology
that promotes free redistribution and access to an end product’s design and
implementation details
11. Experience innovation
Companies that try to create holistic experiences by emotionally engaging their
consumers.
12. Disruptive innovation

A disruptive innovation is an innovation that helps create a new market and value
network, and eventually goes on to disrupt an existing market and value network (over a
few years or decades), displacing an earlier technology.
13. User led innovations
The user is king. It’s a phrase that’s repeated over and over again as a mantra: Companies
must become user-centric. But there’s a problem: It doesn’t work. Here’s the truth: Great
brands lead users, not the other way around.
14. Supply chain innovation
Supply chain innovation is about applying best practices and technological innovations to
your own supply chain in order to reduce such cycle and wait times and other waste (to
use a Lean term) in your in-house processes.

Operation sheet 1.2.

 What are the 14 types of innovation?

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1.3. The Benefits of Innovation

Innovation may be linked to positive changes in efficiency, productivity, quality,
competitiveness, and market share, among other factors.

KEY POINTS
 Innovation is the development of new customer value through solutions that meet
new needs, unarticulated needs, or old customer and market needs in new ways.
 Economic growth and benefits include increased investment, improvements in
quality of the workforce and infrastructure, and further innovation.
 Clarity and understanding of roles, increased responsibilities, strategic
partnerships, senior management support, organization restructuring, and
investment in human resources can enrich organizational culture and innovation.

Organizational Benefits
In the organizational context, innovation may be linked to positive changes inefficiency,
productivity, quality, competitiveness, and market share, among other factors. A study
showed that lack of motivation, extra work, unclear perception of roles, lack of
confidence, insufficient learning culture, lack of innovation, lack of time, and lack of
resources negatively impacted organizational learning. From the positive perspective,
motivation, enthusiasm, involvement, clarity and understanding of roles, increased
responsibility, strategic partnerships, developing a learning culture, senior management
support, organization restructure, job redesign, and investment in human resources all
offer significant improvements to organizational culture. All organizations can innovate
and can learn how to be innovative.

Operation sheet 1.3.

 what are the benefits of innovation?

1.4. Barriers to Innovation that Can Occur Within a Team

1. Closed-Mindedness

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If employees come up with a radical innovation, listen! It could end up saving huge
amounts of time and money.
2. Traditions
Past results should never be used to predict future success. New technology and lower
barriers to entry have created a cluttered playing field, so it’s important to stay ahead of
the curve. Keep your traditions if you want, but combine them with visions that will
prepare you for an ever-changing future.
3. Jealousy
Business is a world of politics and jealousy. The best leaders and employees put this B.S.
to the side and support the people around them. If an employee brings an innovative idea
to you, don’t shoot it down just because the idea wasn’t yours. The best leaders try to hire
people who are better than them, so it makes sense that your employees will come up
with some innovations that you haven’t thought of yet.
4. Money
Innovation is expensive. Research and development budgets can eat up a lot of cash flow
and present a level of risk that other line items don’t have. That doesn’t mean that you
shouldn’t look into and evaluate the risk and reward of each initiative. If there’s enough
evidence that a risk is worth taking, then go ahead and loosen up the purse strings. It can
be the difference between staying ahead of the curve and seeing your company fail.
5. Generational Differences/Age
Younger employees feel that older leaders would never listen to their new ideas.
Generational barriers are hard to overcome, but they need to be addressed and removed.
Older people can be just as innovative as (and sometimes more innovative than) a young
buck out of college. There is no excuse for any age to not listen to — and evaluate — a
creative idea.
6. Communication
Communication is essential when presenting an innovative idea. Too often, the
innovative ideas come from the “crazy person” in the office who always has a new idea.
Encourage employees to present ideas in a concise way that makes it easier for others to
understand. Poor communication can lead to the failure of a great innovation.
7. Size
It’s easier to steer a dinghy than a cruise liner, but that doesn’t mean the cruise liner can’t
turn. It’s natural to think your company can’t change course because of its size. In reality,

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if you don’t encourage your employees to innovate, smaller companies in your industry
will win in the long run (and you may crash into an iceberg).

8. Education
A leader is responsible for not only encouraging innovation, but also educating. Make
sure your budget includes a conference, speaker, or activity to get the “creative juices”
flowing to spark employee motivation.
9. Thought Leadership
Thought leadership is becoming a stronger requirement for proper leadership. Some
leaders hold back because they don’t want to seem egotistical — or they’re just being
lazy. One of the biggest factors to becoming a great thought leader is contributing to
credible sources of information about your industry. If you aren’t doing this, then your
employees won’t be as inspired to mimic your sense of innovation or create their own.
10. Resources
“We don’t have the capacity or bandwidth for something like that” is a common excuse
people trot out when they’re presented with an innovative idea. You can find the capacity
by bringing on new employees or redirecting resources if the right idea comes along. If
you remove this barrier, you will more carefully consider what’s possible.

It’s not a must to take on every idea that comes from your employees (some can be
downright crazy). However, you should create an environment where people are
consistently encouraged to come up with innovative ideas. Always keep an open mind
and evaluate these ideas when they come to you; many company success stories that I
heard at Innovation Uncensored wouldn’t have happened with the barriers listed above.

Operation sheet 1.4.

 what are the barriers to innovation?

1.5. Understanding What the Team Needs and Wants to Achieve

All that a team needs is to succeed.

What DOES a team need to succeed? Success is for your team to achieve the best they
can from where they are.

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Here are just some of the answers given.

1. A COMMON GOAL: A clear, shared goal is a must. If you want to achieve, you must
be clear about what you want and how you are going to do it. Misinterpretations lead to
arguments, confusion, and apathy. But once the whole group knows what it wants they
will show the necessary commitment. Even though, as has been suggested, that the goals
may change over time, each player must understand what they are at any point.
2. HIGH TARGETS Aim for the moon and settle for the top of the tree. Don’t aim for the
top of the tree and settle for the top of the garbage can.
3. LEADERSHIP: A team needs people who are respected and can influence by example
to inspire people to follow them on and off the pitch.
4. INTERACTION: The team needs people to interact, communicate and unite each other
through all phases of development and success.
5. CONSTANT REVIEW OF INDIVIDUALS SELF ESTEEM: Regular checks of
players confidence levels
6. OPEN COMMUNICATION: Freedom to express views from top to bottom and
bottom to top.
7. POWER OF DECISION MAKING: Roles and jobs should only be centred around
things that the team has the power to influence.
8. ATTENTION TO THE PROCESS: Aligned to 1, from the start, the team needs to be
clear about how they are expected to complete their roles within the team....how it will be
structured, interlinked and the agreed discipline for working together.
9. MUTUAL TRUST
10. MUTUAL RESPECT FOR DIFFERENCES
11. COMMITMENT TO THE SUCCESS OF ALL.
12. GOOD COACHING
13. GOOD ORGANIZATION
14. A GOOD TEAM LEADER
15. TEAM UNITY
16. TOUGHNESS
17. HONESTY
18. EXPERIENCE
19. GOOD LISTENERS
20. SHORT MEDIUM AND LONG TERM REALISTIC GOALS TOGETHER WITH

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THE RIGHT PLAN TO REACH THEM

21. PREVENTION OF ANY OUTSIDE NEGATIVE INFLUENCES
22. ATTENTION TO DETAIL
23. DESIRE TO BE SUCCESSFUL
24. COMPETITIVE SELF BELIEF, AN INNER SPIRIT TO WANT TO BE THE BEST
25. CREATION OF AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE ALL CAN SUCCEED

Operation sheet 1.5.

 what it needs for a team to succeed?

1.6. Checking Information about Current or Potential Team Members'

Work in the Context of Developing a More Innovative Team

Information about current or potential team members' work may relate to:

 interests
 lifestyle preferences
 past jobs
 technical strengths
 work preferences
 working styles

A company’s creativity is limited to the same extent that it acts on the preconceptions
about who will be creative, what they will do, and when and how they will do it
(Robinson and Stern, 1997: 29).

Ide a Generation and Capture

It is hard to know what ideas hold value. Employees can often have an inspiration that
triggers a good idea. Some of these ideas can be simple or quite complex. Some peers
may comment that the idea was so simple they don’t know why no-one had thought of it
before. Other ideas may be so complex that their full value can only be derived much
later when highly skilled professionals merge ideas to create a breakthrough.

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Nor are all ideas acquired by chance. Some ideas can be stimulated through structuring a
team approach to look for an innovative solution. This places critical responsibilities on
the frontline manager for the management of their team’s creative muscle.
Idea capture requires the frontline manager encourage communication that will harness
the diversity of thinking within a team.

Not all ideas will make it through to successful implementation. While the conversion
rate is very hard to quantify in terms of innovation on products and services Stevens and
Burley pointed out that on the average of only 1 in every 3,000 raw ideas will reach
successful commercialization (1997). This is outlined in the figure below. The figure
shows how ideas move through stages of development. They will mature through review,
get further developed, be tested, culled and eventually the few remaining may make it to
full roll-out.

3,000 Raw ideas

300 Idea submission, design or reshaping
100 Exploratory projects/testing of ideas
8 Advanced development projects
4 Major development initiative
2 Full launch/implementation
1 Success – commercial or desired outcome

As the conversion rate is so low the capture of good ideas is as essential as the process for
developing them to successful implementation.

C onve rgent and Divergent Thinking

To stimulate the capture of ideas teams need embrace diversity and difference in both
thinking and people.
People are different. This difference can be expressed through:
 the way we think
 physical attributes

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 social context and climate

People think in two distinct ways and these influence how people communicate and
think. We each tend to be predominantly either a convergent or a divergent thinker.

Convergent thinking is synonymous with rationality and involves the sort of thinking that
most of us do every day: that is, find the correct answer to a problem. It assumes that
there is a ‘correct’ answer for every problem. It is scientific and logical.
Divergent thinking involves intuitive thinking which seeks a range of solutions to a single
problem. Divergent thinking acknowledges that there may be many correct answers to a
single problem and that each may be equally acceptable.

L e ft - And Right- Brain Activities

Research on the physiology of the human brain informs and validates much of the
research on thinking processes. Brain-damaged soldiers from the Second World War and
the wars in Korea and Vietnam enabled the study of the functioning of the human brain.
Two key findings stood out dramatically:
 the left side of the brain is convergent - involved with linear (logical and
sequential) thought; the side we use to solve mathematical problems and construct
the content for written reports; and
 the right side is divergent - concerned with imagery, such as recognising a face in
a crowd, and with intuition.
Details of the activities controlled by each side of the brain are depicted below. As
evidenced the ability to be creative relies heavily on the right-side of the brain.

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For Smith and Ainsworth the notion of left brain and right brain is central to team
creativity. The existence of different ways of thinking necessitates that a manager
harness both individual left and right brain predominance in their workplace via a process
they call "mind mix". They state:

Mind mix is a communicative process. It depends on open requests for contributions,

open acceptance and recognition of contribution, honest feedback of what's happened,
etc. These are all just words. It simply depends on people talking openly about what's
going on (Smith and Ainsworth, 1989 228)

Operation sheet 1.6.

 what does information about current or potential team members' work relate to?

1.7. Characteristics of Teams those are more likely to be Innovative

Here are some of the characteristics of teams that are more likely to be innovative
 Everyone participates actively and positively in meetings and projects.
 Team goals are understood by everyone.
 Individual members have thought hard about creative solutions to the problem.
 Members are carefully listened to and receive thoughtful feedback.
 Everyone takes initiative to get things done.
 Each teammate trusts the judgment of the others.

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 The team is willing to take risks.

 Everyone is supportive of the project and of others.
 There is plenty of communication between team members.
 Team decisions are made using organized, logical methods.
 Full team acceptance is expected as decisions are made.
 Dissenting opinions are recorded, and may be revisited if future situations dictate.
 Team goals are given realistic time frames.
 Everyone is focused on the ultimate goal of the project, while also digging into
the underlying details.

Characteristics of a Good Team Member

 Works for consensus on decisions

 Shares openly and authentically with others regarding personal feelings, opinions,
thoughts, and perceptions about problems and conditions
 Involves others in the decision-making process
 Trusts, supports, and has genuine concern for other team members
 "Owns" problems rather than blaming them on others
 When listening, attempts to hear and interpret communication from other's points
of view
 Influences others by involving them in the issue(s)
 Encourages the development of other team members
 Respects and is tolerant of individual differences
 Acknowledges and works through conflict openly
 Considers and uses new ideas and suggestions from others
 Encourages feedback on own behavior
 Understands and is committed to team objectives
 Does not engage in win/lose activities with other team members
 Has skills in understanding what's going on in the group

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1.8. Making Suggestions for Team Members Based on What Needs to

Be Achieved

Working on teams can be rewarding, but at times it can be difficult and downright
frustrating. If there are poor communicators on your team, you may often feel left in the
dark, confused or misunderstood. To create a successful team, effective communication
methods are necessary for both team members and leaders. Even though some people
understand their communication skills need improving, many aren't certain how to
improve them. So, in the following article, we've outlined how to avoid some common
team blunders as well as some helpful advice on how to be a better teammate or leader
overall.

If you are a team member:

Communicate, Communicate, Communicate
If you have a problem with someone in your group, talk to him about it. Letting bad
feelings brew will only make you sour and want to isolate yourself from the group. Not
only does it feel good to get it out, but it will be better for the team in the long run.

Don't Blame Others

People in your group lose respect for you if you're constantly blaming others for not
meeting deadlines. You're not fooling anyone, people know who isn't pulling his weight
in a group. Pointing the finger will only make you look cowardly. Group members
understand if you have a heavy workload and weren't able to meet a deadline. Saying
something like, "I'm really sorry, but I'll get it to you by the end of today." will earn you a
lot more respect than trying to make it seem like it's everyone else's fault
that you missed your deadline.

Support Group Member's Ideas

If a teammate suggests something, always consider it – even if it's the silliest idea you've
ever heard! Considering the group's ideas shows you're interested in other people's ideas,

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not just your own. And this makes you a good team member. After all, nobody likes a
know-it-all.
No Bragging

It's one thing to rejoice in your successes with the group, but don't act like a superstar.
Doing this will make others regret your personal successes and may create tension within
the group. You don't have to brag to let people know you've done a good job, people will
already know. Have faith that people will recognize when good work is being done and
that they'll let you know how well you're doing. Your response? Something like "Thanks,
that means a lot." is enough.
Listen Actively

Look at the person who's speaking to you, nod, ask probing questions and acknowledge
what's said by paraphrasing points that have been made. If you're unclear about
something that's been said, ask for more information to clear up any confusion before
moving on. Effective communication is a vital part of any team, so the value of good
listening skills shouldn't be underestimated.
Get Involved

Share suggestions, ideas, solutions and proposals with your team members. Take the time
to help your fellow teammates, no matter the request. You can guarantee there will be a
time in the future when you'll need some help or advice. And if you've helped them in
past, they'll be more than happy to lend a helping hand.

Operation sheet 1.8.

 what teams need to achieve?

1.9. Acknowledging the Different Ways that Different People May

Contribute to Building a Team

Building a Creative Mind mix

Smith and Ainsworth attest the importance of management understanding how people
think (Smith and Ainsworth, 1989 39-40). They claim a manager must:

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 acknowledge everyone has a right brain including themselves;

 recognise, use and respect the divergent potential in others;
 accept odd ideas;
 use the different strengths of people;
 separate idea evaluation from idea generation; and
 be an objective evaluator and let people know what has happened.

Smith and Ainsworth argue that managers can only harness right brain thinking if they
seek to build a viable mind mix. Mind mix occurs when the totality of collective
intelligence comes together:
Mind mix is a communicative process. It depends on open requests for contributions,
open acceptance and recognition of contribution, and honest feedback on what’s
happened, etc. Put simply, it depends on people talking openly about what’s going on.

De ve l oping an Innovation Plan

To build a team able to develop an innovation the frontline manager first needs to
develop a way to capture document and process ideas.

Once an idea or suggested innovation has been codified into a sensible statement it needs
to be actioned. Moving from idea capture to evaluation and implementation needs can be
planned. A systematic approach to innovation can use a formal form to capture, record
and report ideas or innovations that will be pursued.

De l e gate Roles in the Innovation Plan to Individuals

To assist the members of a team achieve the innovation plan it is important to allocate
roles. The roles should be delegated to individuals in a manner that will secure attainment
of the team’s action plan.

Examination of Part 3 and 4 of the above Innovation Planning template shows actions
and criteria that will be set for the innovation process. This is consistent with other forms
of planning tools a frontline manager will encounter. As with other roles the frontline
manager will play (eg. operational planning, supervising tasks, and managing daily

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activities) innovation activities need to be delegated to people with the responsibility and
resources necessary to achieve the agreed outcomes.

To assist allocate innovation activities and responsibilities to specific individuals a

standard delegation model such as RASCI can be used.
 Responsible = delegated the innovation task/ activity
 Accountable = Accountable to "R" who must sign off or approve on the activity
before it is done
 Supportive = can provide resources or can play a supporting role in attaining
activity completion
 Consulted = has information and/or expertise necessary to complete the work
 Informed = must be informed of results, but does not need to be involved

Typical steps in a RASCI process:

1. Identify all of the innovation plan activities involved and list them down the left
hand side of the chart.
2. Identify all of the roles and list them along the top of the chart.
3. Complete the cells of the chart: identify who has the R, A, S, C, I for each
process.
4. Every process should preferably have one and only one “R” as a general principle.
A gap occurs when a process exists with no “R” (no role is responsible), an
overlap occurs when multiple roles exist that have an “R” for a given process.
5. Resolve Overlaps - Every process in a role responsibility map should contain one
and only one “R” to indicate a unique process owner. In the case of multiple “R”s,
there is a need to “zoom in” and further detail the sub processes associated with
“obtain resource commitment” to separate the individual responsibilities.

Resolve Gaps - The simpler case to address is the resolution of a gap. Where no role is
identified that is “responsible” for a process, the individual with the authority for role
definition must determine which existing role is responsible or new role that is required,
update the RASCI map and clarify with the individual(s) that assume that role (Value
Based Management, 2007).

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Job Sheet 1
Answer the following questions precisely. Use the space provided below each question
to write your answer.
1. What is the difference between innovation and improvement?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________ .
2. What is the difference between personal and organizational benefit?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________ .

3. What are the characteristics of teams that are more likely to be innovative?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

4. What are the characteristics of a good team member?

________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________.

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Learning Outcome 2: Organize and Agree Effective Ways of

Working
Specific Objectives:

After completing this learning outcome, the trainees will be able to:

 establishing ground rules jointly for how the team will operate
 communicating responsibilities in ways that encourage team-based innovation
 applying creative thinking skills to generate, explore, test and challenge ideas
 planning activities to allow time for thinking
 establishing personal reward and stimulation to make teams innovative
 being pro-active in a team to encourage behavior that supports innovation

2.1. Establishing Ground Rules Jointly for How the Team Will Operate

Ground rules may relate to:

 boundaries or lack of boundaries for team activities and ideas
 confidentiality
 copyright, moral rights or intellectual property
 regularity of communication
 key roles and responsibilities
 time lines
 ways of communicating

Ground rules are statements of values and guidelines which a group establishes
consciously to help individual members to decide how to act. To be effective, ground
rules must be clear, consistent, agreed-to, and followed. Where articulated ground rules
are missing, natural behavior patterns often emerge spontaneously. These are referred to
as norms.

Team ground rules define a behavioral model which addresses how individuals treat each
other, communicate, participate, cooperate, support each other, and coordinate joint
activity. They may be used to define and standardize team procedure, use of time, work

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assignments, meeting logistics, preparation, minutes, discussion, creativity, reporting,

respect and courtesy.

A team should create and adopt written ground rules during the first few organizing
sessions. The rules should be consulted and enforced through reminders and team process
checks. They should be added to and revised as needed.

Example of Team Ground rules

Our attitude and culture
 We treat each other with respect.
 We intend to develop personal relationships to enhance trust and open
communication.
 We value constructive feedback. We will avoid being defensive and give
feedback in a constructive manner.
 We treat subcontractor and customer team members in the same way as contractor
team members.
 We strive to recognize and celebrate individual and team accomplishments.
 As team members, we will pitch in to help where necessary to help solve
problems and catch-up on behind schedule work.
Team meetings
 We will hold a regular weekly meeting on Tuesday at 2PM in Conference Room
D.
 Additional meetings can be scheduled to discuss critical issues or tabled items
upon discussion and agreement with the team leader.
 All team members are expected to attend team meetings unless they are out of
town, on vacation or sick. If a team member is unavailable, he or she should have
a designated, empowered representative (another team member, a representative
from their functional organization, etc.) attend in their place.
 The team leader can cancel or reschedule a team meeting if sufficient team
members are unavailable or there is insufficient subject matter to meet about.
 The team leader will publish and distribute an agenda by email by Noon Monday.
Team members are responsible for contacting the team leader or leaving a voice

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message or email with any agenda items they want to include by 9AM Monday.
Agenda items can be added at the meeting with the concurrence of the team.
 Meetings will start promptly on time. All members are expected to be on-time. If,
for extenuating circumstances a member is late, he/she must catch-up on their
own.
 An action item list with responsibilities will be maintained, reviewed in meetings,
and distributed with the meeting minutes.
 No responsibilities will be assigned unless the person be assigned the
responsibility accepts it. If a person to be given a responsibility is not at meeting,
the team leader must review that assignment or action item with the person before
the responsibility is designated.
 The responsibility for taking and distributing meeting minutes will rotate monthly
among core team members.
 Meeting minutes will be distributed within 24 hours after the meeting.
 We will emphasize full discussion and resolution of issues vs. sticking to a
timetable.

Communication and Decision-Making

 One person talks at a time; there are no side discussions
 Each person is given a chance to speak their mind while at the same time
respecting the group's time and the meeting timetables. We will be brief and focus
on facts, not opinions.
 We emphasize open and honest communication - there are no hidden agendas.
 We de-personalize discussion of issues - no attacks on people.
 We will listen, be non-judgmental and keep an open mind on issues until it is time
to decide.
 We emphasize balanced participation of all team members.
 We will emphasize collaboration and use consensus for important decisions and
issues. For less important issues, we will rely on the subject matter expert with
input from others. Planning and Management
 We will mutually commit to our team's objectives as stated in the team charter or
negotiate until we can make this mutual commitment.

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 We accept the responsibility and accountability along with the authority given to
us.
 We will maintain the team work plan and schedule each month.
 If a team member believes they are being asked to do a task outside the scope of
the team's charter,he/she will bring this to the attention of the team leader for
resolution.
 We will maintain awareness of customer-contractor roles while being responsive
to customer representative needs. Any suggestions or direction we believe will
constitute a scope change will be handled through proper channels. We will avoid
a constructive change without proper documentation and authorization.
 When we pose an issue or a problem, we will also try to present a solution.
 Team commitments shouldn't be made lightly, but we will keep those that we do.

Operation sheet 2.1.

 What do ground rules related to?

2.2. Communicating Responsibilities in Ways that Encourage Team-

Based Innovation

Overview of Teams

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Advantages Disadvantages
Information & Groupthink

knowledge Hidden agendas

Diversity of views Free riders

Acceptance of High costs

solutions

Performance
Roles people play in teams:
1. Self-oriented
1.1. Controlling
1.2. Withdrawing
1.3. Attention seeking
1.4. Diverting
2. Group Maintenance
2.1. Encouraging
2.2. Harmonizing
2.3. Compromising
3. Task Facilitating
3.1. Initiating
3.2. Information seeking
3.3. Coordinating
3.4. Procedure setting

Operation sheet 2.2.

 how can responsibilities be communicated to team members?
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2.3. Applying Creative Thinking Skills to Generate, Explore, Test and

Challenge Ideas

The secret about ideation is that the good ideas come from good questions. when
brainstorming, it is not about thinking of ideas in response to the “accurate” question;
instead inspire your team with provoking prompts. These prompts are often most
successful when they come from specific and meaningful insights about your users and
your challenge.

What to do
1. Prepare: schedule the day and prepare yourself
2. Reframe: what’s your unique perspective?
This is probably the most important part of the brainstorm. What do you (and your team)
know about this challenge that no one else has considered? Not in terms of your long-
held expertise, but instead unique user-centered insights. What’s your specific vision (not
solution) about how you want change people’s lives? Another way to think about this is:
what assumption are you going to disrupt on your way to a successful solution?

3. Brainstorming prompts: how-might-we questions

Use your insight and point-of-view to develop 5-10 provoking brainstorming questions.
you can do this ahead-of-time or with your team during the work session. The key is to
bake part of your unique perspective into each prompt.
4. Launch (20 min): get stoked
Introduce the working session. review the brainstorming “rules”. Even if everyone has
brainstormed before it is useful to set the right attitude and be able to refer back to the
rules. Get everyone warmed up with a stoke activity.
5. Brainstorm (60 min): go for quantity
Get your group(s) standing and in a playful mode. Take one how might-we prompt at a
time as you brainstorm.
6. Select (40 min): choose and discuss options

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Plan to take multiple ideas forward into low-resolution prototyping. Select in a way that
keeps your innovation potential alive (i.e. don’t just keep the safe options). Take this time
to also discuss merits of some solutions and flesh them out a bit.
7. Wrap (30 min): recap the work, and plan next steps
Record (write down and sketch) your set of solutions. Discuss how the team can develop
the ideas and create prototypes. Discuss how the day’s work felt (“how was this way of
working?”). Celebrate the team.
8. Going forward:
Develop your ideas (a bit).

Why Brainstorm?
Brainstorming is a great way to come up with a lot of ideas that you would not be able to
generate by just sitting down with a pen and paper. The intention of brainstorming is to
leverage the collective thinking of the group, by engaging with each other, listening, and
building on other ideas. Conducting a brainstorm also creates a distinct segment of time
when you intentionally turn up the generative part of your brain and turn down the
evaluative part. Brainstorming can be used throughout a design process; of course to
come up with design solutions, but also any time you are trying to come up with ideas,
such as planning where to do empathy work, or thinking about product and services
related to your project – as two examples.

HOW to brainstorm?
Be intentional about setting aside a period of time when your team will be in “brainstorm
mode” – when the sole goal is to come up with as many ideas as possible, and when
judgment of those ideas will not come into the discussion. Invest energy into a short
period of time, such as 15 or 30 minutes of high engagement. Get in front of a whiteboard
or around a table, but take an active posture of standing or sitting upright. Get close
together.

Write down clearly what you are brainstorming. Using a How-Might-We (HMW)
question is a great way to frame a brainstorm (e.g. HMW give each shopper a personal
checkout experience?).

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There are at least two ways to capture the ideas of a brainstorming:

Scribe: the scribe legibly and visually captures on the board ideas that team members call
out. It is very important to capture every idea, regardless of your own feelings about each
idea. All-in: Each person will write down each of his or her ideas as they come, and
verbally share it with the group. It is great to do this with post-it notes, so you can write
your idea and then stick it on the board.
Follow and (nicely) enforce the brainstorming rules – they are intended to increase your
creative output.

Operation sheet 2.3.

 what are the ways to capture the ideas of a brainstorming?

2.4. Planning Activities to Allow Time for Thinking

A recent study by Mareike Wieth and Rose Zacks suggests that innovation and creativity
are greatest when we are not at our best, at least with respect to our circadian rhythms.
Circadian rhythms determine whether you are a “morning-type” person or an “evening-
type” person, and are often measured with a short paper-and-pencil test called
the Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire. Circadian rhythms drive daily fluctuations
in many physiological processes like alertness, heart rate and body temperature. Recent
research indicates that these rhythms affect our intellectual functioning too.

Numerous studies have demonstrated that our best performance on challenging, attention-
demanding tasks - like studying in the midst of distraction - occurs at our peak time of
day. When we operate at our optimal time of day, we filter out the distractions in our
world and get down to business.

In a study I conducted, for example, participants were given three related cue words (e.g.,
SHIP OUTER CRAWL), and were required to find their common link (SPACE). When
misleading distracters were presented with the cue words (e.g., SHIP-ocean OUTER-
inner CRAWL-baby), those tested at non-optimal times were more likely to be misled by
the distractors and showed lower solution rates. Those tested at peak times were not
affected by the distraction. In this and related studies, peak-time benefits are most robust
when distraction would disrupt our thought processes and cause errors.

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But distraction is not all bad, and Wieth and Zacks have demonstrated that we can use
our increased susceptibility to distraction at off-peak times to our advantage. In their
study, they asked participants to solve analytic problems and insight problems at peak or
off-peak times. Analytic problems generally require people to “grind out a solution” by
systematically working through the problem utilizing a consistent strategy. Here is a
classic analytic problem: “Bob’s father is 3 times as old as Bob. They were both born in
October. 4 years ago, he was 4 times older. How old are Bob and his father?” No
innovation or creativity necessary to solve this problem; one simply has to work it out
mathematically.

Insight problems, on the other hand, often initially mislead the solver. Finding the right
answer requires the solver to abandon the original interpretation and seek alternatives.
Insight problems often involve an “Aha!” moment where the answer comes all at once,
rather than via a systematic, incremental calculation. Here is a classic insight problem:
“A dealer in antique coins got an offer to buy a beautiful bronze coin. The coin had an
emperor’s head on one side and the date 544 BC stamped on the other. The dealer
examined the coin, but instead of buying it, he called the police. Why?”

Insight problems involve thinking outside the box. This is where susceptibility to
“distraction” can be of benefit. At off-peak times we are less focused, and may consider
a broader range of information. This wider scope gives us access to more alternatives
and diverse interpretations, thus fostering innovation and insight. Indeed, Wieth and
Zacks found that participants were more successful in solving insight problems when
tested at their non-optimal times.

Other studies show similar results. Consider the task of finding the common link among
three cue words (SHIP OUTER CRAWL). If the distraction presented alongside those
cue words is not misleading (SHIP-ocean OUT-inner CRAWL-baby), but instead
is helpful (e.g., SHIP-rocket OUTER-atmosphere CRAWL-attic), participants tested at
off-peak times benefit from that distraction and solve more problems. Those tested at
peak times do not solve more problems with helpful distraction, presumably because they
filter out all distraction, even when it might be beneficial.

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Thus, being at your best may be over-rated, at least for people seeking innovative ideas or
creative solutions. To be sure, if your task requires strong focus and careful
concentration - like balancing spreadsheets or reading a textbook - you are better off
scheduling that task for your peak time of day. However, if you need to open your mind
to alternative approaches and consider diverse options, it may be wise to do so when your
filter is not so functional. You just may be able to see what you’ve been missing.

2.5. Establishing Personal Reward and Stimulation to Make Teams

Innovative

Imagine this scenario: One of your team members has saved the company a significant
amount of money with a process she spent weeks creating.
It's right before the winter holidays, so you decide to reward her with a turkey that she
and her family can enjoy for dinner one night.

You make a big deal of presenting the turkey to her. She smiles and shyly accepts the
gift, quickly putting it in the office refrigerator. You feel good because you rewarded her
efforts, and she seemed to be happy about the recognition.
But is she? Things aren't always as they appear. You didn't take the time to learn whether
or not she eats meat, so you didn't discover that she's a vegetarian. And you didn't
consider that she commutes to the office one hour by train – so by the time she gets that
frozen turkey home to give away to friends, it will be a drippy, soggy mess.

Have you ever wondered why the rewards you offer don't seem to be received very well?
We often hear from business experts about how important it is to reward your team. But
it's equally important to take the time to find out how your team would really like to be
recognized. Sometimes people don't want a bonus or pay raise. Instead, what they'd really
like is a sincere "thank you" or a day off to spend with their families.

The Importance of Rewarding Your Team

Although the idea of rewarding workers beyond their pay and benefits package seems
obvious, some leaders avoid the practice, perhaps because they feel that showing

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appreciation undermines their authority, perhaps because they want to avoid stirring up
jealousy in other members of the team, perhaps because they feel they don't have the time
to do it, or perhaps because they feel embarrassed praising people openly.
This is a shame, because these attitudes reduce their own performance, and all of these
problems can or should be avoided. The most successful leaders are those who recognize
and reward their team's efforts. This not only builds trust, but it strengthens loyalty as
well. Turnover is often much lower in teams that have a strong bond with their leader,
and this impacts a company's bottom line.

You should also remember that, for the most part, the world's talent pool is shrinking –
mostly due to declining birth rates, which leads to an aging workforce. This means that
it's becoming harder for organizations to find the people they need. Finding and keeping
talented people is a key issue, and the companies that figure out how to do this now will
likely be the ones that succeed far into the future. One of the best ways to keep these
people is to make sure that their hard work is appreciated. If finding the few minutes
needed to recognize people is a problem, just think how much time you'd have to spend
replacing them!

Recognizing Their Efforts

Appropriately rewarding team members for something they've done takes some effort on
your part. If you don't put much thought into what you're doing, then you may just upset
the people you're trying to thank. This is why you should sit down with your team and
find out how they'd really like to be rewarded.
For example, if your team is about to start a major project, find out:
 Which team achievements would people like to be rewarded for?
 What kind of reward would they like, as individuals and as a team?
 Would they rather celebrate with several milestones along the way, or have one
big celebration when they hit the goal?
Learning how your team would like to be recognized, and how you can show your
appreciation, is a vital step toward making sure that your efforts will be appropriate.
When and How to Say "Thank You"
Because the return on appreciation is huge. Workers who feel appreciated are twice as
likely to stay at a company than those who don't feel appreciated.

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If you think you don't have time or can't afford to show appreciation to your team, then
stop and think about how much you currently invest in hiring and training new people.
How much would you save if your turnover were lower? Probably a lot, which is why
recognizing your team's efforts is almost always cost-effective.
And don't think that daily gratitude will "wear out" your team. Has anyone ever thanked
you so many times that it lost its meaning? Probably not. It's not likely that your team
will ever get tired of receiving your appreciation.
Just make sure you're sincere about why you thank people. And don't rush the "thank
you" while you're on your way somewhere else. This WILL probably make your gestures
lose their meaning. Stop, look at the person, and tell him how much you appreciate what
he's doing.
These small gestures cost nothing except a few seconds of your time, but their payoff is
enormous.
"Thank You" Tips
Remember these guidelines:
 Be consistent – Consistency is vital. If you praise often during one month, and
then skip the next month entirely, your team will wonder what's going on.
Creating a culture of recognition and reward is important – so once you start,
make sure you continue.
 Be specific – Every time you praise people on your team, be specific about what
they did to deserve the recognition. If you say, "Jim did a great job yesterday!"
that's not only vague, but it may cause jealousy from other team members. Being
specific not only makes the person you recognize feel better, it also lets the whole
team know that you're paying attention. So, detail exactly what the person did and
why it made a difference.
 Know your people – You must know your team to reward them adequately. For
example, if you know that someone loves art and music, then opera tickets or
museum passes would probably be an appreciated, thoughtful gift. If someone else
is a sports fan, then football tickets might be a great idea. Getting to know your
team's interests is critical to showing your appreciation well. Send out a survey, or
question them about their passions. And write it all down so you don't forget.
 Make the reward relevant – Your gift or gesture should be relevant to your team
member's effort. For example, if someone comes in early for a week to make sure

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a project is completed on time, then a gift certificate for a great breakfast would be
a good fit. If, however, the person just saved the company from a mistake that
would have cost millions, then something more significant is needed!

Ideas for Rewarding Your Team

As we said earlier, chances are high that your team isn't looking for a bonus check or pay
raise to feel appreciated. Often, smaller gestures go further and end up costing you less in
the long run. Here are some creative ideas to consider for showing appreciation to your
team:
 Offer flexible scheduling – not everyone needs, or wants, to be in the office at
8:00 a.m. Or, you could offer telecommuting days.
 Send handwritten thank-you notes when someone goes above and beyond the
requirements of the job.
 Create "free day" coupons that a worker could use for a free day off – no questions
asked – without using vacation or sick time.
 Take your team out to lunch – and then, as a last-minute surprise, give them the
rest of the day off.
 Give out "lazy Monday" coupons to allow a team member one "free" Monday
morning off.
 If you e-mail a team member to say thank you, consider copying that message to
YOUR boss.
There are thousands of creative ways to say "thank you." The great thing about these
gestures is that they'll probably be remembered far longer than any bonus check. You'll
show your appreciation – and, at the same time, you'll strengthen the bond between you
and your team.

Operation sheet 2.5.

 How can personal Reward and Stimulation be established to Make Teams
Innovative?

2.6. Being Pro-Active In a Team to Encourage Behavior that Supports

Innovation

Imagine you are running a marathon. You started at a nice, steady pace, but the speed just
kept increasing. You must compete with the others in the race but they keep sprinting

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forward. And more and more people keep joining the race. Not only that, but things are
now being thrown at you from all angles and you must duck and swerve to avoid them,
and the finishing line keeps being moved. Feel the pressure? This is how many
organizations today operate: in an increasingly competitive environment in which
frequent changes in technologies, markets, government regulations and customers give
rise to turbulence and unpredictability. So, how does an organization deal with such
pressures? How do they finish the race? We believe that one important ingredient is the
proactive and innovative behaviour of employees: that is, employees who help you to
sprint forward with new ideas, and who can duck and cope with unpredictability. This
chapter examines the concepts of proactivity and innovation. It is unique in that it draws
together findings from these traditionally separate research streams and identifies areas of
convergence and divergence. We begin by examining why proactivity and innovation are
important and show that these employee behaviours help enhances the effectiveness of
organizational marathon runners. Then we look at what these concepts mean and how
they relate to each other. The third section deals with the individual and environmental
factors that affect proactivity and innovation. Based on these research findings, we
suggest ways in which organizations can improve the proactivity and innovativeness of
the workforce. Finally, we suggest some directions for future research. There are several
reasons why employee proactivity and innovation might contribute to increasing
company performance. First, many organizations are now relatively decentralized and
employees need to work without close supervision. Proactive and innovative behaviours
are necessary in such situations (Crant, 2000; Parker, 1998). Second, employees are
closest to the coalface: they know what is going on, what customers want and need, what
inefficiencies lie in the system. Without their suggestions, organizations rely upon
potentially outdated products, services and procedures and/or upon management’s
perceptiveness. Third, proactivity and innovation can promote organizational
effectiveness through their effects on employee outcomes, such as career success
(Seibert, Crant & Kramer, 1999), team commitment and team performance (Kirkman &
Rosen, 1999). Finally, these behaviours are fulfilling and enjoyable (Unsworth & Wood,
2001). Such enjoyment is likely to lead to a more motivated and more productive
workforce.

What are Proactivity and Innovation?

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These constructs represent similar, but slightly different ideas. In order to see the
relationships between the two, we first discuss each separately.
Proactivity
Proactivity is about being self starting and change oriented in order to enhance personal
or organizational effectiveness, such as by making improvements to work procedures or
using one's initiative to solve a problem. In the academic literature, many constructs
relate to proactivity. These constructs vary according to whether proactivity is seen as a
relatively stable personality trait or as an outcome that varies across situations; as a
behaviour or a psychological state; and as an individuallevel construct or an
organizationallevel one. Here, we focus on individuallevel proactive behaviours that can
vary across situations. We view stable traits (e.g., proactive personality style) and
psychological states (e.g. proactive motivation) as determinants, rather than defining
aspects, of this behaviour.

Even restricting our focus to individual level proactive behaviors that vary across
situations, there are many related concepts with different labels and theoretical
underpinnings. Crant (2000, p. 436) refers to 'proactive behaviour' as "taking initiative in
improving current circumstances; it involves challenging the status quo rather than
passively adapting present conditions". In contrast to 'spontaneous behaviours', which are
voluntary extra role behaviors (George & Brief, 1992), Crant recognized that proactive
behavior can be both in role (e.g. agents seeking feedback about their sales techniques) or
extra role (e.g. changing the scope of one's job). The key focus of proactivity is an action
orientation, rather than a passive or reactive pattern of behavior. This action orientation is
also highlighted in Frese, Kring, Soose and Zempel’s (1996; Fay & Frese, 2001) related
concept of 'personal initiative', which emphasizes 'self starting' behavior and action
orientation. However, personal initiative is defined more stringently than proactive
behavior, as the behaviour must be consistent with the organization’s mission, have a
long-term focus, be goal directed, and involve persistence. 'Taking charge' (Morrison &
Phelps, 1999) includes voluntary behaviours related to making improvement oriented
changes in how work is executed, and is considered similar to proactivity, although it is
operationalized quite differently. Other related behavioural concepts are 'task revision'
(Staw & Boettger, 1990), or action taken to change procedures, inaccurate job

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descriptions, and inappropriate role expectations; 'role innovation' (Schein, 1971), or

employees' rejecting and redefining their roles; and 'voice' (Van Dyne & LePine, 1998),
which involves challenging change oriented behavior, such as speaking out about gender
equity issues.

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Job Sheet 2
Answer the following questions precisely. Use the space provided below each question
to write your answer.
1. What are ground rules?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________ .
2. What roles do people play in teams?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________ .

3. What is the importance of rewarding a team?

________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

4. How can team efforts be recognized?

________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________.

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Learning Outcome 3: Support and Guide Colleagues

Specific Objectives:

After completing this learning outcome, the trainees will be able to:
 modeling behavior that supports innovation
 demonstrating self-management characteristics that support and encourage
innovation
 seeking external stimuli and ideas to feed into team activities challenging and
testing ideas within the team in a positive and collaborative way

3.1. Modeling Behavior that Supports Innovation

Rol e Model
The uniqueness of an organization’s culture is due to the mix of the factors that can be
heavily influenced and shaped by the manager’s actions. This mix will be specific to an
organisation’s workplace(s). If communication practices ensure that these elements
promote effective employee relationships and performance, then this attribute is almost
impossible for a competitor to replicate. It is not a machine or a design for a product and
service, it is embedded in how people want to collaborate and innovate.

How an individual frontline manager models effective behaviors (ie. is a role model) will
vary dependent upon the subordinates, the context and the manager’s experience. But the
attainment of trust, empathy, respect, and integrity in communication relationships needs
to pervade all communication practices.

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Creating a cornerstone of empathy, trust and integrity requires frontline managers to

adopt what have been called the four ‘C’s within communication practices:
 Credibility Saying what you mean and meaning what you say
 Confidence You deal with even the most difficult circumstances and seek input
from others
 Consistency You set a standard that does not vary requirements without clear
evidence and participation by staff
 Context You can make all the separate actions fit into a real workplace situation
and the related issues.
Confidence of colleagues and customers comes from repeat and competent
performance. Adhering to the four ‘C’s continues to reinforce the unique interaction
customers and staff can enjoy with an individual or team.

Operation sheet 3.1.

 How can behavior be modeled to support innovation?

3.2. Demonstrating Self-Management Characteristics that Support and

Encourage Innovation

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Have you ever looked at super-creative or innovative people and felt they are special
beings blessed with gifts? Have you felt that you are not as fortunate? I used to feel this
way. I have since learned that creativity is more about psychology than intellect, and that
there are no secrets to being creative. Actually, there is no such thing as being more
creative—you are already a creative being.
Here are seven habits found in highly innovative and creative people that I’ve organized
and summarized from Scott Berkun’s The Myths of Innovation.
1. Persistence
Innovation involves more than just great ideas. We need faith, hard work, and a laser-
sharp focus for the end result to keep persisting for our vision in the face of roadblocks.
We tend to see the end result of a creative idea in awe, but what we don’t see are the
actions, hard work, and persistence behind the scenes to make the vision a reality.
2. Remove Self-Limiting Inhibitions

Under the spell of inhibition, we feel limited and stuck. We need to free ourselves from
these mind-created constraints by removing assumptions and restrictions. This is what we
refer to when we say, “Think outside the box.” Encourage ourselves to be open to new
ideas and solutions without setting limiting beliefs. Remember, innovation is more about
psychology than about intellect.
3. Take Risks, Make Mistakes

I believe that part of the reason why we create self-imposed inhibition is due to our fear
of failure. Expect that some ideas will fail in the process of learning. Build prototypes
often, test them out on people, gather feedback, and make incremental changes. Rather
than treating the mistakes as failures, think of them as experiments. “Experiment is the
expected failure to deliberately learn something.” (Scott Berkun). Instead of punishing
yourself for the failures, accept them, then take your newfound knowledge and put it
towards finding the best solution. Live up to your goal of producing the best result, but
understand you might hit roadblocks along the way.
“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”—Thomas A. Edison
4. Escape
Our environment can and does effect how we feel. The more relaxed and calm we are

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internally, the more receptive we are to tap into our flowing creativity. This is why ideas
sometimes come to us in the shower or while we’re alone. Each of us have different
triggers to access our creative energy. I get into the ‘creative zone’ from sitting at my
dining table, with a warm cup of chai, and my noise-canceling headphones. Many great
thinkers go on long walks to help them solve problems. Experiment and find what works
for you.
5. Write Things Down

Many innovators and creative people keep a journal to jot down ideas and thoughts.
Some keep a sketchbook, scrapbook, post-it notes, and loose paper. They all have a
method to capture their thoughts, to think on paper, to drop their inhibitions and start the
creative process. Leonardo Da Vinci’s famous notebook was purchased by Bill Gates for
$30.8 Million dollars.
6. Find Patterns and Create Combinations

Ideas come from other ideas. Did you know that Edison wasn’t the first one who came up
with the invention of the light bulb? He was the first to build a workable carbon filament
inside a glass bulb, which made light bulbs last longer. You can increase your exposure
to new ideas, look for patterns, and see how you can combine ideas to improve upon
existing solutions.
7. Curiosity
Many innovators are just curious people who are inquisitive, and like to solve problems.
Practice seeing things differently. For example, when seeing the solution to a problem,
ask yourself, “What are some alternative ways to doing this?” Ask a lot of questions and
challenge the norms or existing methods.

Operation sheet 3.2.

 What are self-management characteristics that support and encourage
innovation?

3.3. Seeking External Stimuli and Ideas to Feed into Team Activities

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Good ideas don’t just emerge from inside the organization. They can emerge from all
stakeholders in the organizations supply chain. Equally, they could emerge elsewhere and
be grafted onto an innovation during the diffusion phase. The aim is to ensure the
innovation process is sufficiently open to identify where ideas or innovations can be
imported to enhance implementation of the innovation.
As costs of research and employment of experts increase, the motivation to form alliances
that reduce costs and risk also increases. In technology-based industries or those
involving complex service and product delivery processes (eg. Hospitals, international
supply chains), the network of an organisation can deliver capabilities and technology
that not only redistribute risk, but also enhance the access to knowledge and capacity
(Slocum & Lei, 1993: 300, Cohen & Levinthal, 1990: 141; Zahra & George, 2002).

Open flow of knowledge is at the heart of innovation diffusion. In modern organisations

the success of innovation will be heavily reliant on how well feedback and knowledge
can be sourced. To stimulate creativity this means they need to promote a more ‘open
innovation’ processes. Open innovation, as stated by one author, is where “the boundary
between a firm and its surrounding environment is more porous, enabling innovation to
move easily between the two” (Chesbrough, 2003: 37).

Often the success of a creative process may rely on the ideas or knowledge from experts
or people that reside outside the team. As depicted below the role of the frontline
manager increasingly involves sourcing information from multiple communities they
participate in. These may be professional bodies, industry networks and conferences,
forums, or internal functional and cross-functional bodies. The manager has the ability to
source the latest ideas or to test and share the ideas their team has developed.

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Tip:
For the frontline manager stimulating a more open innovation process can include:
 Ensuring knowledge is shared and can be accessed by those that need to know.
 Balancing the flow of information with what can be usefully processed (avoid
information overload).
 Ensuring ideas are both protected (intellectual property or copyrighting) while
promoting flow of ideas to those ‘that need to know’.
 Documenting and making ideas accessible so those that don’t move to
implementation can be revisited later.
 Promoting business models that defines the knowledge embodied in the
innovation and its value.
Identifying good ideas being used elsewhere and the intellectual property that should be
purchased to accelerate internal developments.

Operation sheet 3.3.

 How can external stimuli be sought to feed into team activities?

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3.4. Challenging and Testing Ideas within the Team in a Positive and
Collaborative Way

Open innovation also requires free flow of ideas and knowledge within the team. This is
heavily reliant on two-way feedback and communication.
At the heart of effective feedback is empathy. This requires a frontline manager
appreciate how to:
1. Hear what is being said - listen without interrupting, giving an opinion, or
offering advice. Confirm the person’s needs and desires.
2. See things from other person’s eyes and context –understand what the person is
going through and how it looks and feels to them.
3. Share experiences – if you can do the fist two points above, now move to the
nonverbal cues and behaviors the person evidences to appreciate what they don't
say.
4. Show sensitivity – you may not agree with what is being said but summarize the
person’s views (paraphrase) to confirm you have understood what has been said.
Be sensitive and non- judgmental.
Tips:
Characteristics of effective feedback can include the following.
1. It is specific rather than general. Don’t try and dominate the conversation, practice
active listening and let the other person state their case.
2. It is focused on behaviour rather than on the person. It is important that we refer
to what a person does rather than to what we think or imagine he/she is.
3. Keep feedback goal oriented: The feedback should have a purpose and not end in
undefined outcomes that has no relationship to the agreed purpose.
4. Show consideration of the other person’s needs. Feedback can be extremely
negative unless it is shaped to the needs of the individual involved and helps
direct them towards a behavior or outcome the frontline manager seeks to
achieve.
5. It is solicited rather than imposed. Feedback is can be most helpful when the
receiver has had time to prepare themselves and formulated questions or ideas
about how they can respond.

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6. It involves sharing information base don fact not just opinions or the provision of
advice. The feedback needs to be unambiguous if it is intended to be structured to
address a workplace issue or problem. If the feedback is concise and complete
then the receiver clearly understands the message and translate it into action.
7. It is well-timed. In general, feedback is most useful when provided in a very short
period after the behaviour or issue being addressed. Ambiguity of understanding
may increase the more removed the feedback is to the ‘trigger’.
8. Keep it chunked: Feedback should be ‘chunked’ to small enough components so
the receiver can process the information. Overloading them can destroy the intent
of the feedback session.
9. Act in a way that reinforces the message: Remember over 70% of any
interpersonal communication will involve meaning the receiver will derive from
your body language and the tone of your voice. Make sure all forms of
communication reinforce what is being said and/or any written information.
10. Confirm, confirm, confirm: At all time confirm the receiver’s understanding and
check to assure the outcomes from the session are understood and can be
actioned.
R e m oving Barriers to Individual Creativity
In the previous session we introduced the acronym SPIRITED as a way to show the
attributes creative individuals in a team can display. On review of the innovation
diffusion phase the frontline manager may find some negative characteristics have
dominated an individual or a group. The following table advances the SPIRITED model
by examining the possible causes that may have triggered the poor application of certain
creative attributes. By knowing possible causes the frontline manager can begin to
diagnose their own team and develop solutions that will improve innovation.

ttribute Negative characteristics Possible causes

Spontaneous Impatient Sensation or adrenaline junkie

Risk averse High intelligent and unfocussed
No understanding of how to Good verbal skills but poor listener
get from inspiration to Previous poor experience when
implementation working with others in the team
Disregard for others Age differences

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Persistent Stubborn Lacks patience

Unyielding Too technical and lacks managerial
Ignores priorities or administrative competencies
Tactical not strategic Focus is so technical they have no
More political than big picture view
participative Fears rejection
Not open to negotiation Unrecognised for contributions made
Idealist rather than team in the past
player

Inventive Poor judge of what may be Hates to fail

useful or required No financial or market competence
Doesn’t understand the Too secure in their comfort zone
market Too busy managing to filter ideas
Not selective
Gets too close to the idea or
innovation

Resilient Arrogance Impatient for own recognition

Avoids risks if it makes them Unrecognised for contributions made
look bad in the past
Push rather than pull Wants to be in control
Too narrowly focussed

Intuitive Perfectionist Lacks the skills to apply non-

Gets stuck in own comfort technical criteria (eg. Managerial
zone or past practices/thinking goals) to filter ideas
Uses old ideas or thinking to Wants to get it right first time
try and solve new problems or Lacks respect for others
needs No experience having to work across
Volume over value or disciplines or projects
relevance Stuck in rut and past successes
Idea is more important than
the application

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Transformative Narrow field of vision Disorganised

Doesn’t connect ideas Emotionally limited
Fails to recognise how change Rigid beliefs and values
will affect other people Impatient for results
Disregards the incremental for Lack of interest in mundane and
the invention pedestrian

Evaluative Blocks ideas they did not Overly cautious

originate Intellectually restricted in
Linear and cost driven experiences
Stands back and criticises Process not outcome driven
rather than contributes Process not people driven
Wants to understand every Relies more heavily on systems
idea or concept analysis and data not communication
with people

Democratic Closed to suggestion from Previous criticism from team

others members
Consults too widely and does Competitive (for recognition or
not deliver outcome rewards) with other team members
Wants to be liked Poor communication style
Blames people rather than Fears failure and being in the spot
process light

If you revisit the concept of mind mix and personality styles introduced in Session 2 the
above table just reinforces that every individual has a different way to contribute to
innovation. Creativity cannot fit one process because each individual is so different. But
the frontline manager has to create a climate where creativity can be nurtured. A
manager has to act when an individual in the team adopts behaviours or performs in a
way that has a negative consequence on the innovation process.

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Job Sheet 3
Answer the following questions precisely. Use the space provided below each question
to write your answer.
1. How can one challenge and test ideas within a team in a positive manner?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________ .
2. How can barriers to individual creativity be removed?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________ .
3. What is meant by behavior modeling?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
4. Is a team’s activity influenced by external activities? If yes how? If no why not?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________.

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Learning Outcome 4: Reflect on How the Team is working

Specific Objectives:

After completing this learning outcome, the trainees will be able to:

 de-briefing activities for improvement and innovation

 gathering feedback from within and outside the team to generate discussion
 discussing the challenges of being innovative
 taking ideas for improvement
 identifying and promoting examples of successes

4.1. De-Briefing Activities for Improvement and Innovation

Origins and Concepts behind Debriefing Sessions

The term “debriefing” refers to conversational sessions that revolve around the sharing
and examining of information after a specific event has taken place. Depending on the
situation, debriefing can serve a variety of purposes. For example, these sessions can be
used for military, psychological or even academic purposes. While military debriefing is
similiar in form to psychological debriefing for civilians, peer debriefing in the field of
qualitative research is driven by quite different concepts and practices.

Originally, debriefing sessions were used strictly for military purposes. During these
sessions, unit leaders gathered information from troops returning from operations. This
information concerned events that occurred on the battlefield, and so each soldier was
encouraged to add to the discussion to ensure a full and accurate account of the operation.
Before long, the additional psychological benefits of debriefing sessions became
apparent. By giving the soldiers a voice and respecting their experiences, unit leaders
were reinforcing group coherence and increasing morale. Sessions also offered soldiers a
chance to purge themselves of emotional weight as they recounted events and
acknowledged grief.

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Briefings don’t have to be long. You simply need to:

 summarize the tasks at hand
 review the plan for any contingencies
 stress the importance of speaking up if anyone is uncomfortable
 ensure that there are no lingering questions BEFORE you begin

A briefing is only the first part of team building. An equally valuable but less-often–used
tool is the debriefing, and many opportunities to learn are lost when we fail to conduct a
debriefing.

Debriefing has many benefits. They are numerous and fall into two categories. First, there
are the discrete, tangible products that emerge directly from the debrief process. Then
there are the leadership, cultural, and intangible benefits that arise from the consistent
practice of debriefing.

The first of the immediate and tangible benefits of debriefing is that it formally concludes
a task or project. One is reminded of the phrase ‘closing the loop’. We bring finality to a
task and move on. But not before we learn from it. In a complex world where
predictability is impossible and innovation and risk are necessary to survive and thrive,
mistakes are not only acceptable, but welcome. A healthy level of mistakes tells us that
we’re putting forth the extra and sometimes risky effort to succeed. It’s not a weakness to
make mistakes; it’s weak to hide mistakes. Debriefing provides an appropriate means of
putting the past behind us, learning and growing from it, and moving on. And, when
debriefing is performed regularly, it keeps the organization focused on the present and the
future rather than the past. It helps us to continually revise our assumptions about the
market, economy, and world.

Second, proper debriefing fulfills a critical need for effective learning by connecting
cause and effect rather than allowing time delays to inhibit or prevent meaningful
learning. How long can you survive the repetition of the same mistake? What good does
it do to have members of an organization contribute to a project or planning effort and
then have no connection to the outcome, no part in the post mortem? How can individuals
measure themselves? Groups? Debriefing sees to it that they are intimately connected and

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responsible for the outcomes. Humans have a deep psychological need to accomplish
something, to see things through. Debriefing, particularly when it is used regularly and
over short time frames, helps us fulfill this need.

Third, debriefing is a catalyst for change. At its heart, debriefing is a change agent. John
Kotter, the renowned scholar on change management, suggests that successful change
requires management to create opportunities for ‘short term wins,’ thereby repetitively
reinforcing positive steps along the path to change. The creation of ‘wins’, however,
presupposes an incremental process of planning in which tasks or projects are planned for
and executed in relatively short periods of time. And that alone is all well and good but
we’ll miss the opportunity to create these short term wins unless we debrief. Consider
your business. You have a sales cycle, a promotion cycle, a production cycle and so on.
One may be a daily cycle, one may be weekly, and one monthly but for each process
there is an inherent cycle and for each cycle there’s an end-point and at each end-point
there should be a debrief where we tally the ‘wins.’

Fourth, a rigorous debriefing process seeks root causes. It is not enough to see that we
had a win or a loss, rather we need to look beneath the surface to make sure it wasn’t luck
or some other force at work. So we ask ourselves why – why did something succeed or
fail? Most of the time it’s obvious and we move on – but not always. Simply looking at
the obvious causes may not uncover the real forces, the ‘why’s.’ Digging a little deeper is
an essential part of a debrief. Harmful root causes can fester and grow to infect the
organization if left unaddressed. Debriefing provides an opportunity to sort through the
ambiguities in our complex systems and improve at the core organizational level.
Fifth, once root causes are identified, an actionable and specific lesson learned is
developed. A lesson learned may require a change or amendment to existing processes,
procedures, standards, rules or regulations. It may require further development of a plan
or program to address the root cause. It may require a change in training or standards. Or,
it may simply be a list of steps for others to utilize in future tasks and plans. Since a
lesson learned is written in an explicit manner, it can be stored and made available for
others in the future.

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Finally, debriefing, via the development of lessons learned, provides a rapid and simple
approach to process improvement. Since debriefs occur frequently, improvement is near
continuous, and results are rapidly fed into the system. We want to accelerate the learning
experience, get our people up that learning curve faster. Debriefing is about
accomplishing those ends quickly.

Perhaps not surprisingly, debriefing has an impact on corporate culture, too. Edgar
Schein, perhaps the most respected scholar on organizational culture, states that “…
culture is the result of a complex group learning process.” Debriefing is just that, a group
learning process. It is the forum in which we learn from ourselves and each other. To take
charge of that process, to ritualize and develop it, is to take control of your organizational
culture. The kind of culture that debriefing develops is one of learning, openness and
honesty. Add to it the short term wins and the passing of lessons learned across
traditional barriers, and you see profound alignment toward organizational excellence.

Debriefing also supports the development of better leaders and more cohesive teams.
Debriefing requires a team leader to lead the debrief. The success of the debrief is
therefore incumbent upon that leader, which in turn helps build leaders through their own
trial and error. Debriefing helps build leaders by helping them learn the skills to establish
greater trust between themselves and their team. Leadership must be observed and
practiced in order to be mastered. Debriefing provides an opportunity for leadership to be
developed, practiced, displayed, and observed. Debriefing should have a ‘nameless,
rankless’ tone. This comes about because of the first rule, that the planner is the lead
debriefer; on a given mission, the junior executive may be the team leader while a senior
VP may have only a supporting role. In the debrief, everyone’s execution is dissected, but
the meeting is led by one just person, which is invaluable leadership training. When we
allow junior members to take the lead in planning and debriefing, we provide
extraordinary opportunities for developing leaders.

The debrief builds greater trust between team members because of the openness and
honesty demanded of all involved. When a team thoroughly discusses each other’s
contribution to the execution of a task, they come to know each other and understand
each other’s unique challenges and obstacles. Furthermore, they uncover the complexities

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that challenge them and learn how better to assist each other in managing those
challenges.

In addition to improving leaders and teams, debriefing provides insights for organization-
wide improvements. Although debriefing begins at the very tactical or day-to-day
operational level, the practice of debriefing should cascade upward in the organization.
For an organization as a whole, the analysis of recurring root causes is a powerful tool of
continuous improvement. Such analysis provides a
capacity to identify or self-diagnose a host of organizational weaknesses.

As a learning tool, debriefing is essential. We live in a world of rapid change that we

have no real capacity to predict. What we learn today may save us tomorrow. Knowledge
is perishable; it requires
institutionalized debriefing to keep it fresh and up to date. Those organizations that hold
debriefing as a ‘sacred’ part of their culture, thrive.

Operation sheet 4.1.

 How can activities be debriefed for improvement?

4.2. Gathering Feedback From Within and Outside the Team to

Generate Discussion

Feedback is an evaluative response about an action or process given to the original

source. There are many situations in which feedback is appropriate and necessary.
Working in teams provides a variety of opportunities to give feedback to any number of
recipients. It also provides an opportunity to receive feedback from others. Before giving
feedback there are a variety of factors that must be considered, including:

• The goal of giving feedback

• When to give feedback
• The recipient(s) of feedback
• Techniques & tools to ensure effective feedback
• Response to feedback

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In the case of groups, roles and hierarchies may make peer to peer feedback more
difficult. In this case, it is even more important to make sure feedback is given in the
most effective manner.

Common Goals of Giving Feedback

The first step in giving feedback is to determine the goal or the reason for the feedback.
This will vary depending upon the situation. Defining the goal will help shape the
process. Feedback is an educational opportunity for both the sender and the receiver.
Feedback can be used to praise or show appreciation. For example, it is a chance to tell
the recipient that an idea he had was exceptional, that he did well in a meeting, or that his
hard work has been noticed. But feedback is not always positive. It can be a tool to
educate the receiver about his negative behavior or performance, such as habitual lateness
or that he has gone over budget on a project. Negative feedback is also called corrective
feedback.

Improving communication is another common goal of feedback which can lead to several
great benefits such as building, maintaining and testing relationships, gathering
information, and keeping one’s perceptions in check.
One of the most common goals of feedback is to influence others’ behavior. However,
feedback is not a good tool for getting a person to change. Edith Whitfield Seashore
noted that “even though [interpersonal behavior] may influence future behavior, [it]
doesn’t necessarily control anything. We often receive the same feedback over and over,
without anything changing significantly. And we often give feedback without anyone else
changing”. Feedback should be used to influence others to want to start, stop, or modify a
behavior. Precisely given feedback can help a person to see the effects of a behavior and
empower the receiver to want to change the behavior for the better.
When to give feedback

Determining when to give feedback can be difficult, but it is usually best to give feedback
in a timely manner. This is especially true of behavior or performance feedback. If a
person or team completed a project as asked it is important to let them know that their
effort is noticed in order to encourage the behavior to continue. On the flip side, if a
person or team is exhibiting poor behavior or performance it is important to inform them

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of the disapproval and encourage them to improve the behavior. This is especially
important in teams as the behavior and performance of one can snowball into a larger
problem if it is not addressed early on.
Recipients of feedback

Feedback is appropriate for many different audiences such as team leader to group, team
member to peer, and group to team leader. The feedback approach will differ depending
upon the audience.

Working in teams provides additional opportunities to talk with the team about its
behavior, performance or goals. However, not all team feedback should be given in the
audience of the team. On occasion it may be appropriate to pull a team member aside to
give one on one feedback, especially if the feedback is related to that person’s negative
behavior or performance. However, feedback as is relates to the group’s performance,
accomplishment of goals, or cohesion should be brought up to the entire group. This
ensures that all team members receive the same message, and the group can work toward
solutions to the problem if necessary.

Providing performance feedback is effective in improving team performance. But is the

most effective way to administer feedback on an individual level, group level, or both?
DeShon, Kozlowski,Schmidt, Milner & Wiechmann studied this issue in 2003. The
groups that were given feedback aimed at the individual showed an increased individual
performance within the team. Likewise, the groups which were given feedback targeted
at the team showed more successful team performance. A third type of group was given
both individual and team feedback. The study predicted that this third group would
benefit from the multilevel multiple-goal feedback and would outperform the other two
types of groups. Surprisingly, this was not the case. Results found that both groups that
received a single focused type of feedback outperformed this third group type on both
individual and team performance measures. However, the study found that if the goal is
to improve team performance, team feedback produces the best results.

Positive and Negative Feedback for Teams

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Every team has members which possess unique abilities, talents and skills. If a team is
fully functional, meaning that they have several team members who are able to take what
they know and make their knowledge mesh together to accomplish a task or goal, they
have a greater probability of success. According to Webster’s Dictionary, positive
feedback is defined as, “feedback that tends to magnify a process or increase its
output.”[4] Positive feedback creates positive results, however there is a need at times to
balance out positive and negative feedback. Poor feedback can cause mutiny, feelings of
low self-worth, anger or even hatred towards the task or that person.
—The absence of feedback can cause problems among a team because of the perceived
lack of recognition of hard work or special talents by the one who is supposed to give the
feedback.
—Negative feedback at least has a direction if said in the right tone and the right way.
—Positive feedback has power to exponentially build a team, make it work with fluidity
and create a synergy that other methods cannot duplicate.
However, solely giving positive feedback can be detrimental. In a journal article titled
The Negatives of Only Focusing on Positive Feedback, it states that, “We agree that it is
important for managers to appreciate their strengths and understand how to leverage
those strengths. If they don’t, they could waste time and effort attempting to get better at
leadership skills they have already mastered. They could fail to leverage core skills that
would help them be more successful. But CCL’s data suggest that if managers pay
attention only to their strengths, their leadership development efforts may not address
what their organizations need most. This in turn could be harmful not only to individual
managers but to entire organizations.”

Negative feedback, or coaching, as many companies like to call it, is a necessary evil.
Constructive criticism is the only way to build character, otherwise the team members
might not think that they are doing anything wrong and can only do everything right. As
a leader, this comes into play and is desired.

However, it is vital that that one remain objective when giving negative feedback. Aim
feedback at the behavior, not the person. It is important to look past the differences of the
recipient in order to have an honest and sincere interaction. Do not judge the person
receiving the feedback. Each person is experiencing each situation differently, and it is

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impossible for the giver to understand each person’s situation. Present the feedback
honestly, sticking to the facts, rather than judging the person upon your perception.
It is important to consider the matrix of the team when giving feedback. It is also
important not to point out specific members of the group when giving negative feedback.
That is more appropriate for an individual conversation. Focus on the behavior of the
group and the changes that need to be made within the group.

Finally, when giving negative feedback, one must have good intentions on helping the
person to improve. Feedback given with mal intent will not have a positive outcome. If
one is unable to give feedback in a sincere manner it may be beneficial to have another
respected member of the team give the feedback.
Feedback Techniques
Each team member should have a working knowledge of feedback techniques that can be
implemented with the group in order to reach the team goals and to be productive. The
following are a sample of techniques that can be used to enhance the feedback
experience.

Serve the feedback like a meal Serve the feedback like a meal How the message is delivered can often
determine if the message is received properly and if it will be acted upon. Kind words
shouted at someone do not have the same positive impact as when they are spoken gently.
Ed Sykes of The Sykes Group has suggested that feedback should be served to the team
or individual like a great meal. He offers five techniques for making the feedback meal
more appetizing:
a. Mentally prepare to give feedback just as you would prepare ahead of time to serve a
banquet. Review questions such as “Is the feedback important? What do I hope to
accomplish through this feedback? Who are the persons I will be giving the feedback to?
How have they taken feedback in the past? Etc.
b. Serve each course at the appropriate time- waiting too long to serve the criticism or
serving it too early can result in a lack of hunger for the team or individual receiving the
meal.
c. Start with quality ingredients like fairness, candor, and consistency. Set positive
expectations and be direct in the communication.
d. Ask for a meal review. Get feedback on the feedback session.

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e. Use appropriate table manners. Be gracious, respectful, and kind. Always end on a
positive note.
Stay Positive According to the UK management training firm Templeton Finn [7], there
is a three step technique to giving feedback that significantly improves performance and
motivation:
1. Start the process with a few genuine, specific compliments.
a. Be sure to use very specific and direct terms and remember that whatever you
comment on you will get more of.
2. Give the person or group one or two things they could do differently next time to make
it even better.
a. Be sure to give them the correct way to do it. If you only tell them what they did
wrong, then there is still a chance that they will do it wrong again, just in a different way.
3. Make an overall positive comment about the person’s abilities or progress.
In general, stay positive and use positive terms. There are an infinite number of wrong
ways to do something so it’s much better to know how to do something the right way
than to know how not to do it. People generally feel more confident about their abilities
to improve upon mistakes through positive feedback. On the other hand people generally
feel nervous and insecure when they receive feedback in a negative manner, which often
leads to more mistakes.

Operation sheet 4.2.

 How can feedback be generated about a team?

4.3. Discussing the Challenges of Being Innovative

Indifference, hostility, and isolation are among the major obstacles to a healthy
innovation environment.
In most companies, just about all the cards are stacked against the nurturing of
innovation, especially the kinds of new ideas and disruptive innovations that generally
lead to major changes in the marketplace and within the business.
Indifference

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The majority of executives make it to top positions by being very good operational
managers: meeting sales objectives, improving products and services to keep up with
competitors, supporting existing customers and acquiring new ones, managing mergers
and acquisitions, achieving the required financial results quarter after quarter, and so on.
These management jobs are very tough and getting tougher, given our rapidly changing,
fiercely competitive, global business environment. Being a good manager takes very hard
work, attention to detail, and organizational discipline.

But as executives rise up in the organization, other skills become increasingly important.
They need to transition from being a manager to being a leader.
Management is about business results and processes. Leadership is about people. The key
quality you need in good leadership is passion—the urgency to attack and solve the
complex problems that all organizations face. To do so, you need to be surrounded by
highly talented people, and you need to find a way to transmit your passion to them, so
they will buy into your vision of the future, perform at the highest possible levels, and
come up with innovative solutions to the challenges of achieving the vision.

When skies are blue, a company might be able to cruise along with top managers who are
indifferent leaders. Such managers are typically executing tactical, incremental strategies
where the critical ingredients are good, disciplined management as well as operational
excellence. But once the skies begin to darken, as they inevitably do, such managers will
get into deep trouble, and often end up taking a business down with them. Their most
talented innovators and strategists, those whose skills are now badly needed to help set
the business on the proper course, have either long departed or become so disenchanted
that they have nothing left to give.

Hostility
In general, managers who do not actively encourage new ideas and innovations in their
organizations do so because of indifference. They will typically listen politely to your
new idea, provide some encouragement, and offer good advice. If they are being honest,
they will tell you they barely have the time, energy, and budget to help much beyond a
pat on the back now and then.

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But some managers go beyond indifference. Their initial reaction to any new idea is
negative, if not downright hostile. This is particularly true if the idea comes from
someone outside their own organization.

Some of them also exhibit characteristics that many of us would associate with being a
bully. Typically, the corporate bullies have achieved their high management positions
because, despite their poor interpersonal skills, they are very good at other parts of the
job. Sometimes, they are excellent innovators themselves, but given their autocratic
tendencies, innovation for them is a one-man or one-woman show. They tend to be poor
team players: Collaborative innovation is not for them.

Such hostile behavior is hugely detrimental to a healthy innovation environment. People

championing new ideas, especially if they are potentially disruptive new ideas, are going
against the grain of what the business is currently doing. Rejection is painful, especially
coming from people in positions of authority. Senior managers can nurture those new
ideas through positive words and actions, or they can stop them on their tracks by being
overly negative and combative.
Isolation
Innovation is a team sport. Innovation is multidisciplinary and technologically complex.
It arises from the intersections of different fields or spheres of activity. That is why it
often takes a group of people who are not only highly talented but who bring together
diverse skills and points of view in order to successfully tackle the kinds of complex
problems we face in the 21st century.

But perhaps even more important, a collaborative approach to innovation helps provide
the energy and emotional support that new ideas need in their very early stages. New
ideas are almost always rough and ill-formed at first. Nothing works better than bouncing
ideas off other, supportive people. This back-and-forth dialog is crucial in helping to
shape the idea into something more concrete, understandable, and actionable. Then it is
more ready to face the tougher challenges and criticisms from line management and
others in the organization.

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That is why isolating people in organizational silos is one of the biggest obstacles to
innovation. Companies that are serious about innovation do everything possible to break
down silos and encourage communication and collaboration across the organization and
beyond.

Fostering innovation is very hard, especially if the innovation is disruptive in nature. A

spirit of innovation and collaboration does not come naturally to an organization. For
such a spirit to take hold, it must become an integral part of the company's culture. None
of this is easy, but it is what a company must do if it truly wants to create a healthy
environment in which innovation can flourish.

Operation sheet 4.3.

 What are the challenges of being innovative?

4.4. Taking Ideas for Improvement

People leave their jobs for all sorts of reason. Some are in search of more money. Some
are cut and others are fired. Some see writing on the wall and get out while they can. And
some quit because they simply reached their limit. Let’s call this “Going Milton”.
I switched jobs because I saw writing on the wall as to what my role would be at the
company I was in. I didn’t like what I saw and the people were changing, and not in a
positive way. I stayed with the same company and just got a different position with a
different affiliate. So far, I can say the new job is going great and I’m having fun and get
along well with my co-workers.

Unfortunately, not everyone has such a happy work experience. But regardless why you
leave a job, everyone at least wants just one thing: respect. Well, maybe respect and
appreciation. I think there are few jobs that pay so much that you can accept lack of
respect and appreciation. It’s the building block for making happy employees, and thus,
keeping happy employees. When people aren’t happy they leave and there is usually a
few good reasons as to why. But sometimes there is an entire list.

Recently, a co-worker quit. He was a programmer/developer like myself and he really

knew his stuff. He did his job really well and made some great things to try and push the

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company in the right direction. Unfortunately, he was a one-man team. I’ve been a one-
man team my entire working career and I know that it can get stressful very quickly and
the work can pile up, especially if you are not in control of what is going on. I was in a
position where I could keep tabs on what projects I was doing and their priorities. He was
not and some recent exits by other employees (including msyelf) put him in a spot were (I
think) he just woke up one day and said, “You know, it’s not worth this.”

I don’t blame him for leaving. My previous position was heading down a similar path and
hence I left. His boss asked him to make a list of thoughts/suggestions before he left, so
he made one – but he never submitted it. When I asked why he told me that the #1 thing
you don’t do when you leave is submit a list of suggestions and observations. Why?
Cause they either a) never get read or b) get read but ignored. It’s unfortunate that the
opinions and knowledge of the troops in the trenches is not respected and considered.
Nonetheless, he sent me the list of suggestions as the “e-mail that never was” and it’s a
good list…four pages of list to be exact. I read through it and couldn’t stop laughing
because he hit just about every nail on the head as far as picking apart the problems with
his specific position and the things going on around him. I’m not sure what his list of
“good things” would be, if any. Having first hand knowledge of his situation, I’m not
sure I could come up with a good sized list of positive aspects.

So what’s the list? Well, here you go. It’s long but if you are in any way in a technology
career you should give them all a good skim. And think about how your job fits the bill –
it might give you something to think about.

DISCLAIMER: Some of these have been edited as they mentioned specific names. And
while I may agree with some of these, the list is another’s opinion. Some items on the list
I have no background information on and can only guess as to what is being referenced.
~~~
Suggestions for Team Improvement
Do’s
Do respect your team
Do appreciate your team
Do demonstrate your appreciation of your team to your team

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Do remember that you win with people, not consultants

Do realize that in this Internet day and age, every company is an IT company. The ability
of companies to attract and retain the best IT talent will determine their success or failure.
Do remember to implement the right technology, not just the technology with which you
or your cronies are most comfortable
Do tend to live near the leading edge of technology, otherwise your systems are old
before they are even implemented and nobody in IT wants to work with legacy systems
Do realize the hidden costs of poor documentation
Do realize the importance of training
Do realize the hidden costs and pitfalls of open source and not simply focus on hard
dollar licensing costs
Do remember that two systems are three times as expensive to support and maintain as
one system
Do remember to treat your IT team as a profit center, not a cost center
Do inspire your team with bold visions and clear direction
Do explain your vision to your team and not keep them in the dark
Do realize that leadership is often best demonstrated through clear commitment versus
keeping one’s feet in two camps
Do realize that a stoic never inspired anyone
Do be more aware of the overall local technology landscape before making rash decisions
Do trust in your team. Listen to them and respect their opinion even if you do not agree
Do remember that it is your team that does its job on a daily basis while you do not.
Therefore, your team probably knows a few things that you do not
Do remember that there are many different ways to “reinvent the wheel” and that some
wheels are bigger than others
Do remember that the true mark of an effective leader is to effect consequential change,
not just change for the sake of change or change to make oneself comfortable
Do remember that the other true mark of an effective leader is to attract and retain top
talent
Do realize that nobody wants to support a shoddily engineered system that is the result of
a half-baked project driven by false pretenses and arbitrary deadlines which results in no
documentation or training and the whole thing simply being “chucked” over the fence
onto a team that has to shim, shore-up and work around all of the poor quality work. Fun.

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Do value speed and agility over stoic plodding

Do realize that the abacus and the pony express are two other “proven” and “mature”
systems
Do understand that you would have to be a masochist to WANT to program in Java
Do understand that J2EE is a hack and a shim of a web application platform with
additional hacks and shims layered on top to make it even close to useful. Even Sun
realizes J2EE needs a massive overhaul to compete
Do realize that complexity is evil
Do make sure to treat your team fairly, then you will not have to worry about losing them
Do realize that your team and outsiders such as potential hires are smart enough to
recognize warning signs such as mass outsourcing, early retirements, [and] layoffs.
Do understand that the IT industry has cycled back to the early 90’s
Do try to cultivate your own IT culture that is separate and distinct from the business
culture. Organizations tend to pick up the culture of their central business unit and a
flailing and reactionary [department], while great for [that department], does not make a
good IT culture
Do truly engage your team with new technology projects especially in the early design
phases. It is their lifeblood and will invest them in the success and support of the project
Do take all of this with a grain of salt, it is just my opinion after all
Do Not’s
Do not abuse your team
Do not refer to your team in a derogatory fashion (eg. “Things are 100% perfect at
[Company A] and all we do is laugh about how screwed-up things are at the [Company
B]”)
Do not claim that you will definitely be stepping things up a notch when you have no
idea just which notch your team is on currently
Do not rationalize that everyone in IT must do more with less by making a false
comparison to the [a] business unit. One is in the situation because of the erosion of a 100
year-old monopoly and the inability to accept change while the other is in the situation
because of that monopoly’s poor business decisions to cut IT to the bone and rail in the
face of the wind.
Do not promise that there is a place for everyone and then immediately fire someone
Do not criticize your predecessor; it makes you look small in comparison

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Do not criticize projects about which you know nothing, especially without first taking
the time to perform proper due diligence to fully understand the goals, rational and
challenges faced by that project. Proper is defined by more than 15 minutes.
Do not make decisions and then ask your team for their input when it is obvious that the
decision has already been made. This is especially true if you are really, really, REALLY
bad at hiding the fact that the decision has already been made.
Do not criticize perceived flaws in projects when your projects have the same flaws or
much, much worse
Do not promote someone to manager and then take it away
Do not ask someone if the team needs a manager in front of the current manager. That is
simply cruel to everyone involved
Do not ask someone’s opinion in front of their manager when it is their manager’s
decision and not theirs. That is simply cruel to everyone involved.
Do not discuss a promotion to management without discussing increased compensation in
the same breath. Titles never put an ounce of food on the table.
Do not move someone’s office every 3 months
Do not claim that a project which; if done in a shoddy fashion, will take a minimum of 6
months can be done in 1 month. Do not then have that same project take over 9 months
and be chock full of problems and rife with shoddy workmanship.
Do not expect your team to simply pick up over 20 new technologies in a single, 6 month
project, not give them any training, criticize them for the smallest mistakes and then show
zero appreciation for their efforts. Do not further expect them to stick around after they
have garnered upgraded skills and received no compensation, training or appreciation.
Increased skill sets equals increased job opportunities. Business 101.
Do not double or triple the workload on an already critically understaffed team and offer
nothing in return.
Do not underpay and overwork your team. Underpaying and overworking being defined
as the expectation to complete major project work, field day-to-day requests from every
conceivable business unit, be responsible for the full 7-layer stack of technology, and;
just for grins, have them on call 24/7.
Do not underpay and overwork your team. Underpay and overworked being defined by
industry accepted standards that anyone can go look up on the Internet.

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Do not live on the trailing edge of technology. You will have difficulty recruiting and
retaining top IT talent. Nobody wants to work on 10-year old technology.
Do not implement a project on an old version of a software platform. The system is
legacy before even being implemented
Do not think that one coding language is better than another. It all ends up as 1’s and 0’s
Do not advertise a comparable position in the newspaper, which; to attract a qualified
individual, would require a team member’s salary + 30%. The existing team members
will know that the “new guy” they get the distinct pleasure to train on top of all of their
other work is either better paid or under-qualified.
Do not let team members know that you could not come to a salary agreement with a
contractor from a third-world country for full time employment. If team members were
not suspicious that they were underpaid before, that one *might* tip them off.
Do not claim that there is a “no new headcount” policy that is preventing team members
from being added when the number of customers that the team’s is supporting is growing
exponentially.

Do not let a team’s workload get to such a point that the training burden of bringing on
new team members becomes the straw that breaks the camel’s back
Do not ask team members who quit to write up suggestions for team improvement
because you will only end up with a big long list of things that nobody will ever read or
bother to truly consider anyway

And that’s that. Keep in mind he quit, he was not fired, so this isn’t just a list from a
disgruntled employee – at least not in that fashion. He was not happy and this was his last
chance to vent. And if you’re asking, “is it really that bad?” The answer is yes, it is.
It is a very exhaustive list that hits just about every aspect of any position, regardless of
field. I’m not going to say which of those items I agree with and which ones I don’t, but
for the most part, I understand 95% of them know exactly how he felt.

4.5. Identifying and Promoting Examples of Successes

Effective teams can contribute heavily to the success of an organization. This lesson
explores the key characteristics that make teams effective in the business world. You'll

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see an example of each characteristic and learn about underlying, supportive aspects of
effectiveness.

In the business world, the word 'team' is thrown around a great deal. It's become a
phrase or term we use on a regular basis, such to say things like 'let's work as a team,' or
'we are a solid team around here.' The truth is that just because we use the word 'team'
to describe a group of people, it does not mean the team functions in an effective
manner.

We often use the word 'team' as a noun to identify the group, but we need to remember
that 'team' can be a verb as well. The action of teaming is part of what makes a team
effective. Putting a group of individuals on a team (noun) is great, but having that group
team together (verb) is when effective teams arise.

What Makes Teams Effective

There are many different facets that make a team effective. While the list of what makes
a team effective can be quite long, with attributes like good members or solid
leadership, there are aggregate facets that can be identified that will contribute to the
team effectiveness. They are:

Clear performance goals: Performance goals are the incremental and quantifiable or
qualitative accomplishments the team is looking for. The less abstract these goals are,
the more cohesively the team can work together to accomplish them. For example, a
goal of 'be the best team in the National Football League' is not as clear as having a goal
of 'winning the Super Bowl.' It is much easier to be effective if the goals are clear.

Meaningful common purpose: A common purpose is the understanding of what the

team is trying to accomplish or what they are working towards. If the purpose is not
meaningful to all members (thus they share it in common), it is more difficult to have a
group of people function as a team. If the purpose of the team was to eliminate plastic
bottles and some team members did not really see that as a pressing world need, the
ultimate purpose of the group is not unilaterally common.

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Diversity: The concept of diversity is commonly understood to be a condition that is

composed of varying elements. In the case of our teams, we strive for diversity as it
relates to culture, personality and skill sets. This diversity gives us a wider perspective
on any issues the team might face and thus allows for a more expansive level of inputs.
Think of how challenging it would be if the team was assembled to deal with world
hunger but was only made up of individuals from the U.S. that were middle-aged, white
male executives from a similar background. As the problem was worked on, there
would not be many varying viewpoints or sources of team input - thus the effectiveness
could be impacted greatly.

Communication: As with any situation, communication is critical. The sharing and

understanding of data and information as sender and receiver is critical to a team's
effectiveness. Put simply, you cannot solve a problem if you cannot openly talk about it
and share viewpoints and ideas.
What the team needs and wants to achieve may relate to:

addressing particular customer feedback

 conceiving and implementing a particular project
 developing new services or products
 generating ongoing ideas within the work unit
 improving budgetary performance
 improving or changing work conditions
 new ideas that impact beyond the workplace (e.g. that have a broader social or
community impact)

Different ways that different people may contribute may relate to individual strengths
around:

creating positive energy within the team

 fundamental literacy strengths (e.g. particularly strong in visual literacy, written or
spoken communication)
 generating ideas
 networks or spheres of influence
 particular ways of thinking

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 powers of persuasion
 problem-solving capacities
 specific technical skills or knowledge

Team-based innovation may be encouraged through:

accessing training and learning opportunities

 enough but not too much guidance and structure
 equitable sharing of workload
 follow-through with ideas
 supportive communication

Behaviour that supports innovation may include being:

collaborative
 equitable
 fair
 fun
 hardworking
 reflective
 responsible
 sympathetic

External stimuli and ideas might be from:

Australia or overseas
 colleagues outside of the team
 family and friends
 internet
 journals
 networks or technical experts
 other organisations

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Challenges of being innovative may relate to:

budgetary or other resource constraints

 competing priorities
 organisational culture
 problems with breaking old patterns of behaviour or thinking
 time pressures

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Job Sheet 1
Answer the following questions precisely. Use the space provided below each question
to write your answer.
1. Where did debriefing originate from?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________ .
2. What is the concept of team debriefing?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________ .
3. What are the benefits of debriefing?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
4. What is the goal of giving feedback?

________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________.

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REFERENCES

 https://training.gov.au
 www.cornerstoneondemand.com/learning
 www.cfch.com.au/managing-workplace-and-personal-
stress
 www.businessballs.com
 www.skillsyouneed.com

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